Railcar brake beam wear liner

ABSTRACT

A brake beam wear plate assembly for a railway car truck sideframe is provided. A brake beam wear plate is provided and adapted to be inserted in a brake beam guide which is typically an integral component of a railway car truck sideframe. The brake beam wear plate itself is comprised of a channel shaped body having an upper wall, a lower wall, and a bottom wall. The brake beam wear plate is typically comprised of a polymer or a high density plastic. The brake beam wear plate also includes a projecting locating tab and the brake beam guide itself includes a complimentary cutout section.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brake beam wear plate assembly and,more particularly, to a brake beam wear plate inserted into a brake beamguide on a railway car truck sideframe.

Braking systems on freight car trains include brake beams having brakeshoes which engage the tread of the wheels to apply braking forces. Thebrake beams are mounted on the railway car truck. The railway car truckitself includes brake beam guides formed on the sideframes of thetrucks. The sideframes are most typically a unitary cast steelstructures, with the brake beam guides integrally cast as part of suchsideframe.

It is desirable to include brake beam wear plates within the brake beamguides such that wear on the sideframe itself and the portion of thebrake beam extending into the brake beam guide is limited. Such brakebeam wear plates typically are comprised of polymers or high densityplastics that exhibit the structural strength to be utilized in such arailway truck, while providing appropriate sliding, self lubricatingcharacteristics to eliminate or greatly reduce wear at the end of thebrake beam which extends therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brake beam wear plate assembly foruse in a railway car truck. The brake beam wear plate assembly includesa brake beam wear plate which is usually comprised of a channel shapedstructure usually made of a polymer or a structural plastic. The brakebeam wear plate is fitted within a brake beam guide which is an integralpart of a sideframe. The sideframe is a structural component of therailway car truck.

In braking operations in a railway freight car train, a brake beam ismounted on the railway car truck with an end of the brake beam receivedin the brake be guide. It is desirable that the brake beam guide includea brake beam wear plate fitted therein such that the end of the brakebeam can move without wear on the structural steel of the sideframe orthe brake beam end itself. Brake shoes are fitted near the ends of thebrake beam such that upon movement toward the tread of the railwaywheel, a braking force is transmitted to the wheel tread surface.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a brakebeam wear plate assembly for use in a railway car truck.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a brake beamwear plate that can be inserted into a brake beam guide in a railway cartruck sideframe.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a brake beamwear plate assembly such that a brake beam wear plate includes alocating tab to be received in a complementary receiving section of abrake beam guide on a railway car truck sideframe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of a railway car truck sideframeincluding braking elements;

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a railway car truck sideframe includingbrake beam guide brackets;

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a brake beam wear plateseparated from a brake beam guide on a railway car truck sideframe inaccordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a brake beam wear plateinstalled in a brake beam guide of a railway car truck sideframe inaccordance with the first embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a brake beam wear plateincluding a rejection feature in a brake beam guide of a railway cartruck sideframe in accordance with a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a partial review of a railway cartruck is shown generally at 10. Such railway car truck is typicallyreferred to as a three piece truck, wherein two parallel sideframes 11,with only one being shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, are spaced laterally,with a bolster, not shown, extending between such sideframes 11.

A wheeled axle 12, which is comprised of axle 22 and mounted railwaywheels 23, is supported at a longitudinal end of sideframe 11. Wheel 23includes a tread section 24 which contacts the rail 25.

Each sideframe 11 includes as an integral cast component thereof, withsideframe 11 typically being comprised of an integral cast steelstructure, and includes sideframe guide brackets 19 and 20. Suchsideframe guide brackets 19 and 20 face inwardly from each of thelaterally spaced sideframes 11. Each sideframe guide bracket defines achannel shaped pocket adapted to receive brake beam wear plate 36. Brakebeam wear plate 36 receives an end 32 of brake beam 13, enabling brakebeam 13 to move within brake beam wear plate 36. Such movement of brakebeam 13 end 32 allows brake shoe backing support 28 with attached brakeshoe 29 to contact wheel tread 24 and provide a braking force to thetrain of which the railway car truck 10 is a component of a singlerailway car.

Referring now to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 of the drawings, a first embodimentof the brake beam wear plate assembly of the present invention is setforth. Sideframe 11 is shown in portion and comprises a generallyunitary cast steel structure. Sideframe 11 includes sideframe guidebracket 19. Sideframe guide bracket 19 is itself comprised of brake beamguide bracket upper section 52 and brake beam guide bracket lowersection 54. Such sections are spaced generally vertically on sideframe11 as best seen in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Brake beam guide bracket uppersection 52 is seen to include a concave or notch section 58 at onecorner, and brake beam guide bracket lower section 54 is seen tocomprise a recessed or concave corner 59. Brake beam guide bracket uppersection 52 is also seen to comprise a cutout section 56, which extendsinwardly in a generally semicircular fashion from an edge 53 of brakebeam guide bracket upper section 52. It is further seen that brake beamguide bracket cutout section 56 is located nearer concave corner 58 ofbreak beam guide bracket upper section 52 than the opposite corner 55 ofbreak beam guide bracket upper section 52.

Also shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 is brake beam wear plate 36. Brake beamwear plate 36 is typically comprised of a polymer or a high densityplastic. But could be comprised of a suitable metal. Brake beam wearplate 36 is seen to be comprised of brake beam wear plate upper wall 40and brake beam wear plate lower wall 42, with brake beam wear platebottom wall 44 joining brake beam wear plate upper wall 40 and brakebeam wear plate lower wall 42. Further, brake beam wear plate upper walllip 48 is seen to extend laterally from brake beam wear plate upper wall40, and brake beam wear plate lower wall lip 46 is seen to extendlaterally from brake beam wear plate lower wall 42. Brake beam wearplate upper wall lip locating tab 50 is seen to extend laterally frombrake beam wear plate upper wall lip 48. Brake beam wear plate upperwall lip locating tab 50 is seen to extend in a generally semicircularshape from brake beam wear plate upper wall lip 48. Brake beam wearplate upper wall lip locating tab 50 is seen to be able to fit in brakebeam guide cutout section 56. Such complementary fitting of brake beamwear plate upper wall lip locating tap 50 and brake beam guide cutoutsection 56 assures that brake beam wear plate 36 can only be insertedinto brake beam sideframe guide bracket 19 in one orientation. Brakebeam wear plate 40 is seen to be a generally channel shaped structureformed by brake beam wear plate upper wall 40, brake beam wear platelower wall 42, and brake beam wear plate bottom wall 44. It is possibleas part of the present invention to utilize more than one locating tab50 and cutout section 56. It should be noted that locating tab 50 can begenerally semicircular, but can also be rectangular, square, triangular,or any similar shape; accordingly, locating tab 50 and cutout section 56can be comprised of numerous complementary shapes. Further, locating tab50 could be placed on brake beam guide bracket upper section 52, andcutout section 56 could be located in brake beam wear plate upper walllip 48.

Referring now to FIG. 5 a second embodiment of the present invention isshown. A railway truck sideframe is partially shown at 100, and is seento be a generally unitary cast steel structure. Sideframe 100 includes asideframe brake beam guide bracket 102, which itself is comprised of asideframe guide bracket lower section 104 and a sideframe guide bracketupper section 106. Such sideframe guide bracket upper section 106 andsideframe guide bracket 104 are separated generally vertically. Asideframe brake beam guide bracket rejection block 110 is seen to extendupwardly from a surface of sideframe guide bracket upper section 106.Such sideframe brake beam guide bracket rejection block 110 could begenerally rectangular in shape, but other shapes such as round, oblongor square, would also accomplish the requirements of this embodiment ofthe invention.

A brake beam wear plate is shown generally at 112, and is seen tocomprise a brake beam wear plate upper wall 114, a brake beam wear platelower wall 116, both being joined by a brake beam wear plate bottom wall118. Accordingly, brake beam wear plate 112 is seen to be generallychannel shaped structure. Further, break beam wear plate upper wall lip120 extends from brake beam wear plate upper wall 114 in a generallytransverse fashion, and brake beam wear plate lower wall lip 122 extendsgenerally transversely from brake beam wear plate lower wall 116.

Brake beam wear plate upper wall lip rejection tab 124 is seen to extendtransversely from brake beam wear plate upper wall lip 120. The purposeof brake beam wear plate upper wall lip rejection tab 124 is to preventbrake beam ear plate 112 from being installed in brake beam guidebracket 102. Due to railway truck design and railway truck sideframe 100design, certain brake beam wear plates are designed to be installed incertain brake beam guide brackets. The embodiment of the presentinvention as shown in FIG. 5 would prohibit brake beam wear plate 112from being installed in brake beam guide bracket 102. However, a brakebeam guide bracket, not shown, that would have a cutout section insideframe brake beam guide bracket upper section 106, as opposed to asideframe brake beam guide bracket rejection block 110, would allowbrake beam wear plate 112 to be installed therein. Accordingly, it isseen as part of the present invention in the embodiment shown in FIG. 5that the combination of sideframe brake beam guide bracket rejectionblock 110 and brake beam wear plate upper wall lip rejection tab 124prohibit the improper installation of brake beam wear plate 112 into asideframe brake beam guide bracket 102.

What is claimed is:
 1. A brake beam wear plate assembly for a brake beamguide on a railway car truck sideframe comprising a brake beam wearplate including a channel shaped body having an upper wall and a lowerwall, and a bottom wall connecting the upper wall and the lower wall,the brake beam wear plate fitted into the brake beam guide, the upperwall of the bake beam wear plate including a first lip extendinglaterally therefrom, the lower wall of the brake beam wear plateincluding a second lip extending laterally therefrom, the upper wallfirst lip of the brake beam wear plate including a locating tabprotruding laterally therefrom, the brake beam guide comprising an uppersection and a lower section, the upper section of the brake beam guideincluding a cutout section, the locating tab of the brake beam wearplate being reviewed in the cutout section of the brake beam guide uppersection.
 2. The brake beam wear plate assembly of claim 1 wherein thelocating tab protruding from the upper wall lip of the brake beam wearliner comprises of a semicircular shaped structure of a thicknesssimilar to the upper wall first lip.
 3. The brake beam wear plateassembly of claim 1 wherein the cutout section of the upper section ofthe brake beam guide comprises a semicircular shaped section.
 4. Thebrake beam wear plate assembly of claim 1 wherein the brake beam wearplate is comprised of a polymer or a high density plastic.
 5. A brakebeam wear plate rejection assembly for a brake beam guide on a railwaycar truck sideframe comprising a brake beam wear plate including achannel shaped body having an upper wall and a lower wall, and a bottomwall connecting the upper wall and the lower wall, the upper wall of thebrake beam wear plate including a first lip extending laterallytherefrom, a lower wall of the brake beam wear plate having a second lipextending laterally therefrom, the brake beam wear plate upper wallfirst lip including a rejection tab protruding laterally therefrom, thebrake beam guide comprising an upper section and a lower section, theupper section of the brake beam guide including a block structureextending therefrom, the rejection tab of the brake beam wear platecontacting the block structure of the brake beam guide upper section toprevent the improper assembly of the brake beam wear plate into thebrake beam guide.
 6. The brake beam wear plate rejection assembly ofclaim 5 wherein the rejection tab protruding from the first lip of theupper wall of the brake beam wear plate comprises a rectangular shapedstructure of a thickness similar to upper wall first lip.
 7. The brakebeam wear plate rejection assembly of claim 5 wherein the blockstructure of the upper section of the brake beam guide comprises arectangular shaped structure extending from an outer surface of theupper section of the brake beam guide.
 8. The brake beam wear plateassembly of claim 5 wherein the brake beam wear plate is comprised of apolymer or a high density plastic.